Car Bomb Attacks Kill Civilians in Syria’s North
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – At least 13 people have been killed and 29 wounded in two car bomb blasts in northwestern Syria, according to media reporters.
The successive explosions on Sunday took place near a cultural center in the town of Azaz and another village some 50km (30 miles) away.
The second incident involved another car bomb targeting a checkpoint of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) pro-Turkish militants near the town of al-Bab, killing six militants and wounding four, FSA sources said.
Separately, Syria’s state news agency SANA said one Syrian was killed on Sunday and four were wounded in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, Deir Ezzor province, after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) opened fire at pro-government demonstrators protesting against a siege on their neighborhood. The area is known as the security square and is controlled by government forces.
Turkey has been involved militarily in the conflict in Syria since early 2011. It has provided the FSA with military assistance throughout the conflict.
In 2018 and 2019, Turkey launched cross-border military operations in northern Syria with the declared aim of eliminating Syrian Kurdish militants of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara regards as a terrorist organization tied to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Northern Syria has been hit by sporadic bombing attacks, which Turkey usually blames on “terrorists” linked to the PKK.
On Saturday, eight civilians, including four children, lost their lives in another car bomb explosion in the city of Afrin, which Turkish forces and their proxies seized in an operation in January 2018.
According to reports, the Sinaa neighborhood bombing in the city of Afrin on Saturday was so massive that it inflicted huge damage to nearby buildings.
Damascus has repeatedly said the United States, Israel and their allies have been aiding Takfiri terrorist groups across the country to hamper the government’s efforts to restore peace and order.
